Amid debate on the imposition of Hindi in India, a new debate has emerged following the Ministry of AYUSH's training webinar. Earlier, this week a webinar was organised, in which predominantly Hindi was used to communicate.
At least 37 doctors from government hospitals in Tamil Nadu had also joined the webinar. They raised concerns about not being to fully gain from the training webinar, due to a language barrier and requested that English be used. The AYUSH secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha said on the matter, that they could leave if they liked.
Hindi becomes bone of contention in AYUSH webinar
Tamil Nadu has recently been anxious about the centre's move to 'impose' Hindi on the Indian population. The question of using Hindi for communication regardless of geography and culture has been severely opposed in Tamil Nadu.
Another instance, that would no doubt help cement the notion of a 'non-inclusive' state is the view of the Ministry of AYUSH Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha. During a 3-day long training webinar, yoga and naturopathy specialists from around the country participated, including 37 doctors from government hospitals in Tamil Nadu among 300 participants.
The sessions were primarily held in Hindi and participants raised concerns of issues in translation and comprehension. Participants claimed that they repeatedly voiced their difficulty. One participant told The New Indian Express, "However, most sessions were held in Hindi. On the third day, Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary of the Ministry of Ayush, also started delivering his address in Hindi. When people who could not follow him requested that he speak in English, he told them they could leave the webinar, and that he would speak only in Hindi. He said he does not know to speak English well."
In a video circulation online, Rajesh Kotecha is seen saying, "I want to congratulate people who have taken the time to attend this event in such large numbers. I have got information that, for the past two days, there has been an issue...people can leave...I don't speak English very well. So, I will speak in Hindi."
However, speaking to The Hindu, the AYUSH secretary said that his 10-minute speech was disrupted by 'hooligans' who came into the webinar as participants, demanding that he speak in English, and that's why he said what he said.
DMK, Kanimozhi took to Twitter to condemn the event, "The statement of Secretary of the Union Ministry of AYUSH Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha that non-Hindi speaking participants could leave during a Ministry's training session speaks volumes about the Hindi domination being imposed. This is highly condemnable."
It's yet to be seen how this matter will play out.
